Fruit processing method



A ril 18, 1967 T. a. KEESLING FRUIT PROCESSING METHOD 8 Sheets-Sheet 1Original Filed May 13, 1957 April 18, 1967 T. B. KEESLING 4 3,314,463

FRUIT PROCES S ING METHOD Original Filed May 13, 1957 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 w2&9 2% 25 J52 1&9\

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FRUIT PiROCESSING METHOD Original Filed May 13, 1957 8 Sheets-Sheet 7fzzdezz for I Tfzozna; l3. Kee Z; 279' April 18, 1967 T. B. KEESLINGFRUIT PROCESSING METHOD 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 Original Filed May 13, 1957 Inden Z02" ThOIYZQ S ,5 KeeaZz'ng C/LZ z iarneg United States PatentOfiice 3,314,463 Patented Apr. 18, 1967 3,314,463 FRUIT PROCESSINGMETHOD Thomas B. Keesling, Los Gatos, Calif., assignor to FMCCorporation, a corporation of Delaware Application Oct. 17, 1961, Ser.No. 148,789, now Patent No. 3,225,892, dated Dec. 28, 1965, which is adivision of application Ser. No. 658,846, May 13, 1957, now Patent No.3,016,076, dated Jan. 9, 1962. Divided and this application Feb. 11,1965, Ser. No. 444,478 12 Claims. (Cl. 146-238) This application is adivision of the co-pending Keesling application, Ser. No. 148,789, nowPatent No. 3,225,892, which in turn is a division of the prior Keeslingapplication, Ser. No. 658,846, filed May 13, 1957, now Patent No.3,016,076.

This invention relates to fruit preparation methods and moreparticularly to methods for orienting and coring fruits such as apples,having indents at opposite ends of the stem-blossom axis.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved method oforienting and coring articles such as fruit and vegetables having a stemand a blossom indent at opposite ends of the stem-blossom axis.

Another object is to provide a method of orienting articles such asfruit and vegetables having indents therein at opposite ends of the stemaxis and initiating the coring operation while the oriented article isretained in oriented position.

These and other objects of the invention will be better understood froma consideration of the following description when taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings. In the drawings wherein like referencenumerals have been used to designate like parts throughout:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view with certain parts broken awayillustrating the aligning and coring apparatus by which the method ofthe present invention is performed;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged view in vertical section through the upperindent aligner and upper coring mechanism illustrated in FIGURE 1,substantially as seen in the direction of the arrows along the line 2-2of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view in horizontal section through the mechanism in FIGURE2 substantially as seen in the direction of the arrows along the line 33in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged view in vertical section through the lowerindent finder and aligner substantially as seen in the direction of thearrows along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a schematic view illustrating the operation of the upperindent finder and aligner;

FIGURE 6 is a view in horizontal section through the lower indent finderand aligner substantially as seen in the direction of the arrows alongthe line 66 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 7 is a view in vertical section through the aligning apparatussubstantially as seen in the direction of the arrows along the line 77of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary view in vertical section through the aligningcup substantially as seen in the direction of the arrows along the line88 of FIG- URE 6;

FIGURE 9 is a further enlarged view in vertical section through theupper indent finder and aligner and the upper corer;

FIGURE 10 is a further enlarged horizontal section through a portion ofthe mounting structure for the upper indent finder and alignersubstantially as seen in the direction of the arrows along the line10-10 of FIGURE 9;

FIGURE 11 is an enlarged view in elevation of the end of the upperindent finder and aligner substantially as seen in the direction of thearrows along the line 1111 of FIGURE 9;

FIGURE 12 is an enlarged view in vertical section through the lowercorer substantially as seen in the direction of the arrows along theline 12-12 of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 13 consists of a series of schematic views illustratingsuccessive steps in operation of the aligning and coring machine forperforming the method of the present invention;

FIGURE 14 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section through the lowerindent finder and aligner, the view being similar to FIGURE 4 andillustrating the aligning of a large apple;

FIGURE 15 is a partial end view with certain parts broken awayillustrating the drive and control mechanism for the upper indent finderand the upper corer;

FIGURE 16 is a perspective view with certain portions broken awayillustrating particularly the drive mechanism for the machine; and

FIGURE 17 is an end elevational view of the right hand end of themachine as viewed in FIGURE 16.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIG- URES 1 and 16 thereofthere is shown a machine incorporating the principles of the presentinvention for aligning and coring fruits and vegetables such as applesand the like having two indents therein. The aligning and coring machineis generally designated by the numeral 20 and includes a first or lowerindent finder and aligner generally designated by the numeral 22 and anupper indent finder and aligner and coring tube assembly generallydesignated by the numeral 24. There also is provided a lower coringassembly generally designated by the numeral 26. These threesubassemblies are mounted upon a frame best illustrated in FIGURE 16 ofthe drawings. The frame includes a pair of lower transverse framemembers 28 connected by a pair of longitudinal frame members 30.Extending upwardly from the intersections of frame members 28 and 30 areend frame members 32 and 34. The upper ends of end members 32 and 34 arein turn interconnected by a pair of longitudinal upper frame members 36and a pair of transverse frame members 38.

Preferably a plurality of aligning and coring units is provided onmachine 20 so that a number of apples such as 7 apples or 10 apples maybe simultaneously aligned and cored. Although machine 20 includes aplurality of aligning, coring and associated units, only one set will bedescribed in detail and like reference numerals will be applied toduplicate elements.

A feed chute 40 (FIG. 1) is provided to convey an apple to each of thealigning units 22. Suitable mechanism (not shown) is provided to insurethat only one piece of fruit is fed to each aligning unit 22 at a time.

Referring particularly to FIGURES 1, 4 and 6 to 8 of the drawings, theconstruction and operation of aligning unit 22 will be described indetail. A receptacle or cup 42 is provided to receive from chute 40 thefruit to be aligned and cored such as an apple 44. Apple 44 of FIGURE 4is illustrated as a relatively small apple as contrasted with the largeapple illustrated in FIGURE 14 of the drawings. Apple 44 has twoseparate and distinct indents. One indent of apple 44 is the stem indentor cavity 46 which surrounds the point from which the stem 48 projectsand includes a generally concavely curved indent surface 50. Althoughindent surface 50 may be irregularly shaped in most apples and likefruit, there is a well defined surface which, by means of the presentmachine, can be distinguished from the generally globular surface 52 ofthe apple. Apple 44 has a second indent or cavity 54 (FIG.

4) surrounding the remaining fragments of the blossom at the blossom endof the fruit. Blossom indent 54 is also provided with an indent surface56 generally concavely curved which may be irregular in shape yet can bedifferentiated from the surface 52.

Cup 42 is provided with an inner frusto conical surface 58 to receiveand support apple 44 during the location and alignment of one of theindents thereof. Surface 58 preferably has the sides thereof inclined atan angle of 45 with respect to the horizontal end therefore the oppositesides of cup 58 form an included angle of 90. The most common sizes ofapples to be processed by machine 26 are apples having maximum diameterslying between 2% inches and 4 /4 inches. In aligning fruits in this sizerange, cup 42 is shaped in such a way that the maximum diameter ofsurface 58 is 4 /2 inches and the minimum or lower diameter is 2%inches.

Formed integrally with cup 42 is an enlargement 60 to which is secured astem or rod 62 by means of a bolt 64. Stem 62 has been illustrated asbeing rectangular in cross section and is received within acornplementarily shaped bearing sleeve 66 supported in an encirclingextension 63 which is part of a bracket generally designated by thenumeral 70. The main portion of bracket 70 is generally cylindrical inshape and is designated by the numeral 72. A pair of web portions 74interconnect extension 68 and the cylindrical portion 72.

A first indent finder is provided to be used in cooperation with cup 42to find one indent of the apple 44. More specifically an aligner discgenerally designated by the numeral 76 has been provided which whensuitably rotated and shifted is capable of locating one of the indentsof apple 44. Disc 76 is circular in shape as viewed in FIGURE 7 and whenprocessing apples having diameters lying in the range of 2% inches to 4%inches preferably has a diameter of 1V2 inches. The thickness of disc 76is Vs inch and the outer edge 78 which contacts the apple 44 ispreferably rounded to form an are having a radiu of inch. A hub 89 isprovided at the center of disc 76 to provide means for supporting disc76 upon a shaft 82, a pin 83 securing disc 76 to shaft 82. The axis ofshaft 82 is disposed substantially perpendicularly to the sides of disc76 with the center of rotation of shaft 82 (FIGS. 4 and 14) lying in thecenter of disc 76. Shaft 82 is rotatably supported in a hollow shaft 84formed in two sections which are in turn received in a cylindricalopening 86 provided in a gear cover generally designated by the numeral88. Gear cover 88 includes a downturned flange 90 which is supported byand forms a bearing contact with a ring 92 having an endless series ofbevel gear teeth 94 formed on the upper surface thereof and arranged ina circular form. Ring 92 is in turn mounted upon the verticallyadjustable bracket 70 and more specifically upon the cylindrical portion72 thereof by three bolts 96. By the above described construction itwill be seen that aligner disc 76 is suitably mounted upon bracket 70.

In order to locate the indent of a fruit 44, disc 76 is rotated about ahorizontal axis extending through the center thereof and the entiredisc, While rotating about a horizontal axis, is also rotated about avertical axis lying in a plane bisecting disc 76, as viewed in FIGURE 4.Rotation of disc 76 about its horizontal axi is obtained by rotatingshaft 82 for this latter purpose, a miter pinion gear 98 is fixedlyattached to one end of shaft 82 and has meshing engagement with and rollupon the series of teeth 94 provided on ring 92.

Means to rotate aligner disc 76 about a vertical axis is provided in theform of a sleeve 160 on which are mounted the hollow shaft 84 and gearcover 88. The upper end of sleeve 190 is provided with a flange 102which overlies and rides upon a portion of ring 92. The gear cover 88 isfixedly secured to flange 102 by means of a plurality of cap screws 101,see particularly FIGURES 6 and 8 of the drawings. A suitable cylindricalbearing 104 is provided adjacent the lower end of sleeve 190 to form abearing contact with cylindrical portion 72 of bracket 70 through whichsleeve extends. Rotation of sleeve 100 is pro vided by means of asprocket 1%, attached to the lower end of sleeve 100 as by pins 108. Thesprocket 106 is provided with a plurality of teeth 110 which interengagewith and are driven by the drive chain 112.

Rotation of sleeve 100 carries or rotates shaft 82 in a horizontal planeabout a vertical axis and, at the same time, drives gear 98 around gear94. This serves to rotate shaft 82 about a horizontal axis whereby alsoto rotate disc 76 about a horizontal axis and also serves to rotate disc76 bodily about a vertical axis.

During the finding of the first indent to be found in fruit 44 by meansof aligner disc 76, cup 42 is held in an upper position as shown inFIGURE 4. More specifical ly the lower end of stem 62 rests upon a stopin the form of a cam 114 which is eccentrically mounted upon a shaft1116. By means of the eccentric cam 114, the position of cup 42 aboveand with respect to disc 76 can be adjusted. A spring 118 undercompression is mounted between the lower end of the bracket portion 68and a cup 120 mounted upon stem 62 by means of a disc 122 held inposition thereon by a pin 124. Spring 118 serves continually to urgestem 62 against the adjacent surface of cam 114.

Cam 114 is adjusted to the position shown in FIGURE 4 of the drawingsfor relatively small fruit. More specifically cup 42 is adjusted to thehighest position relative to disc 76 when the fruit has a maximumdiameter of approximately 2 /4 inches. \Vhen aligning larger fruit suchas illustrated in FIGURE 14 of the drawings, cam 114 is adjusted withthe low side uppermost contacting stem 62. This places cup 42 in itslowermost position relative to disc 76, this position being illustratedin FIG UR E 14 of the drawings. With the parts adjusted in thisposition, apples, having a maximum diameter as great as 4 /4 inches, canbe oriented and aligned. Cam 1-14 is adjusted to intermediate positionswhen aligning fruit having diameters lying intermediate thoseillustrated in FIG- URES 4 and 14 of the drawings. More dependablealigning is obtained when earn 114 is properly adjusted in accordancewith the size of fruit being handled.

During certain portions of the operation upon apple 44, the bracket 70is raised vertically and for a portion of its travel moves relatively tocup 42 because of the action of spring 118 urging stem 62 against cam114. This rela tive movement continues until a plurality of abu-tments126 provided on gear cover 88 come into contact with a shoulder 128formed on the under surface of cup 42. With the parts in this positionas illustrated in FIGURE 7 of the drawings, further upward travel ofbracket 70 serves to carry cup 42 therewith. 7

As has been explained above a plurality of aligning units 22 is providedon machine 20. Each aligning unit is suitably secured to a cup beam 130by a plurality of bolts 132 (see FIGURES 1 and 16). Beam 139 is mountedfor vertical movement whereby to cause vertical movement of bracket 70and the associated parts including aligner disc 76 and cup 42.

After one of the indents in fruit 44 has been located by disc 76, thefruit 44 stops rotation and rests with the found indent positioned abovethe outer periphery 78 of disc 76 on shields (to be described hereafter)positioned on either side of disc 76 and with a portion of the outersurface 52 of the apple lying against the inclined surface 53 of cup 42.The positions of the various parts at this stage of the operation areschematically illustrated in FIGURES 7 and 13a. It is now desirable tolocate the second indent of fruit 44 and align the axis interconnectingthe two indents in a substantially vertical osition. To this end asecond indent finder is provided above cup 42. The second indent finderforms a part of the aligner and coring assembly generally designated bythe numeral 24, the construction and operation of which is bestillustrated in FIGURES 1, 2, 3 and 9 to 12 of the drawings. Referringfirst to FIGURE 1 of the drawings it will be seen that two spindle beams134 and 136 have been provided, beams 134 and 136 extendingsubstantially parallel to each other and to beam 130 and are disposed ina substantially horizontal position above beam 138. The outermost endsof beams 134 and 136 are connected by plates 138 (only one shown inFIG. 1) which are provided with rollers 140 carried by a pair of trackmembers 142. Track members 142 are disposed substantially horizontallyand at right angles to the longitudinal beams 134 and 136 whereby topermit horizontal movement of beams 134 and 136 and the associated partsmounted thereon.

Referring now to FIGURE 2 of the drawings, it will be seen that there isprovided a substantially I-shaped bracket 144 which is suitably securedto beams 134 and 136 as by bolts 146 and extends verticallytherebetween. A first boss 148 is provided on the upper edge of bracket144 on the side thereof opposite the point of attachment to beam 134.Boss 148 is provided with a bearing sleeve 150 which receivestherethrough a tubular shaft 152 which serves to drive the second findermember or wiggler tube as will be described more fully hereinafter. Alubrication fitting 154 is provided so that proper lubrication can besupplied for the upper bearing end of shaft 152.

The upper end of shaft 152 extends above boss 148 and has mountedthereon a sprocket 156 held in position by a pin 158. Sprocket 156engages a drive chain 160 which is held in proper relationship therewithby means of a shoe 161 mounted on the adjacent edge of beam 134. Thereturn reach of chain 160 travels in a track 162, mounted on a bracket164 which is secured in turn to a second bracket 166, also mounted uponbeam 134.

There is provided in the sides of tube 152 a pair of diametricallyopposite and longitudinally extending slots 168. Extending upwardly intothe lower end of tube 152 is a wiggler or aligner shaft 170 which isdrivingly interconnected with shaft 152 by means of a pin 172 whichextends through an aperture in the upper end of shaft 170 and throughthe slots 168 (see FIGURE 9 also). A collar 174 surrounds shaft 152 andreceives therein the ends of pin 172 whereby positively to interconnectcollar 174 and the wiggler shaft 170.

The lower end of wiggler shaft 170 has a portion 176 of reduced diameterwhich carries on the lower end thereof an aligner or wiggler sleeve1'78, slidably mounted thereon. The upper end of sleeve 178 is spacedbelow a shoulder 179 formed at the junction of the upper portion ofshaft 170 and reduced portion 176. This permits relative axial movementbetween sleeve 178 and shaft 170. Driving interconnection between shaftportion 176 and sleeve 178 is provided by a pin 188 extending through atransverse aperture in portion 176 with the ends of the pin disposed ina pair of vertically extending and diametrically opposed slots 182formed in sleeve 178. A second pin 184 serves to interconnect and mounta wiggler or aligner core 186 upon aligner sleeve 178. Extendingupwardly from core 186 is a rod 188 which extends into a recess formedin the lower end of shaft portion 176 and is surrounded by a spring 198which is held under compression between the shaft portion 176 and core186. Spring 198 serves to urge core 186 downwardly away from theadjacent end of shaft portion 176 and thereby urge the sleeve 178 awayfrom the shoulder 179.

Provided within the lower end of sleeve 178 is an axially slidablecenter rod 192. A wiggler tip or finger 194, mounted in the center rod192 to project therebelow, is disposed parallel with the axis of shaft170 but is positioned eccentrically with respect thereto. A plug 196through which the tip 194 projects is fixed in the end of the sleeve 178and holds rod 192 and the associated tip 194 in operative positionagainst downward displacement from the sleeve 178. Tip 194 is free toslide vertically upwardly with respect to plug 196 whereby to move therounded end 198 thereof upwardly to lie within plug 196. This movementof tip 194 is permitted by the sliding mounting of rod 192 but isopposed by a spring 200 surrounding a small shaft 202 extendingdownwardly from core 186, spring 200 being under compression between thecore 186 and the rod 192. Shaft 170, rod 192, tip 194 and plug 196 arepreferably formed of aluminum to reduce the weight thereof. By the abovedescribed construction a relatively light upward pressure exerted on theend 198 of tip 194 will serve to move tip 194 upwardly into alignersleeve 178. Continued upward pressure upon plug 196 will move sleeve 178upwardly against the action of spring 190.

Rotation of sprocket 156 (see FIGURE 2) serves to rotate shaft 152 whichin turn drives the aligner shaft through pin 172. Rotation of shaft 170in turn through pin 180, drives aligner sleeve 178 which, because of theplug 196, drives tip 194. Because of the eccentric mounting of tip 194with respect to plug 196, the rounded end 198 of tip 194 moves in acircular path or orbit about the axis of the shaft 170.

Vertical movement of the upper indent aligner including sleeve 178 andparts mounted thereon can be obtained by moving the collar 174 in avertical direction whereby to move-pin 172 along the slots 168.Referring specifically to FIGURE 3 of the drawings it will be seen thata hollow shaft 204 is rotatably mounted upon bracket 166. A lever 206,adjustably mounted on a shaft 204, is provided with a clamp 208 having abolt 210 to secure the lever in adjusted position on the shaft. Theouter end of lever 206 is provided with a pair of spaced apart arms 212which carry, on inwardly disposed faces thereof, short pins 214 whichengage beneath a shoulder 216 formed on the collar 174 (see FIGURE 9also). Movement (by mechanism to be described hereinafter) of lever 206in a vertical direction serves to move collar 174 and the attached partsfrom the position shown in full lines in FIGURES 2 and 9 upwardly towarda position such as that shown by dotted lines in FIGURE 2.

During certain portions of the fruit processing operation it isdesirable forcefully to move or drive the shaft 170 downwardly from theposition shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 2 substantially to that shownin full lines therein. To this end a second hollow shaft 217 is mountedin bracket 166 and has mounted thereon a lever 218.

One end of lever 218 is provided with a clamp 219 having a bolt 221whereby to permit adjustment of the position of lever 218 upon shaft217. The outer end of lever 218 carries a pair of spaced apart arms 220(only one arm being shown, FIG. 2) which carry on inwardly disposedfaces thereof pins 222. Pins 222 are positioned to engage an uppershoulder 224 provided on collar 174. Rotation of shaft 217 in aclockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 2 serves to move lever 218downwardly whereby to drive shaft 178 and associated parts downwardlytoward the position shown in full lines in FIGURE 2.

It is to be noted that the connections of levers 206 and 218 with collar174 permit shaft 152 and all the associated parts thereof includingcollar 174 to be rotated while collar 174 and the associated parts aremoved in a vertical direction.

After both indents of apple 44 have been found and the axisinterconnecting the two indents has been aligned in a vertical directionbetween disc 76 and the aligner tip 194, it is desired to remove thecore from the apple. The first portion of the coring operation isaccomplished by means of a coring cutter generally designated by thenumeral 226 (see particularly FIGURE 9 of the drawings). The lower edgeof cutter 226 is provided with a cutting edge 228 defined by an outercylindrical surface 230 which meets with an inner frusto-conical surface232. The cutter 226 is formed integrally with a coring tube 234 whichextends upwardly therefrom and surrounds a portion of sleeve 178 and aportion of the shaft 170. The upper end of the coring tube 234 alsoextends upwardly into a recess formed in the lower end of the tubularshaft 152 and is drivingly connected therewith. The lower end of shaft152 is provided with a first upper pair of aligned apertures 236 and238. A second pair of aligned apertures is provided below the first pairas at 240 and 242. A pair of apertures 244 .and246 is provided in coringtube 234 in general alignment with apertures 238 and 240, respectively.A tool can be inserted through apertures 23% and 244 to deform a portionof the coring tube 234 as at 248 into aperture 236 whereby to provide aconnection between coring tube 234 and tubular shaft 152. A similarprojection 250 can be likewise formed extending into aperture 242.Projections 248 and 250 thereby provide positive driving connectionbetween the tubular shaft 152 and the coring tube 234.

In the operation of the coring cutter 226 the bracket 70 carrying analigned apple 44 is raised. Tip 194 is still in contact with apple 44and in conjunction with disc '76 maintains apple 44 in the alignedposition. Tip 194 and the associated parts including sleeve 176 arerotating. Simultaneous with the raising of bracket 70, cutter 226 iscontinuously rotated to form a draw out about the core of the apple uponcoming in contact therewith. By rotating cutter 226 any stems which maylie in the path of the cutting edge 228 are cut through cleanly and arenot pushed into the apple. These cut stems drop free since they are notimbedded in the apple and therefore do not interfere with subsequentprocessing operations.

In order to insure indent position retention during continued rotationof the aligner wheel or disc 76 and orbiting of the tip 194 andsubsequently to prevent rotation of the apple 44 during the coring cut,a pair of part-circular shields 252 and 254 is provided about alignerdisc 76 (see particularly FIGURES 4, 6 and 7). More specifically theshields 252 and 254 are mounted upon the hollow shaft sections 84 andare formed integrally therewith. The circumferential extent of shields252 and 254 is slightly more than 180 as may be best seen in FIGURE 7 ofthe drawings to insure that the apple rests thereon. A plurality ofridges 256, 257 and 258 (FIG. is provided about the circumference ofshields 252 and 254, respectively, to increase the eifectiveness of thecontact between apple 44 and shields 252 and 254. In a preferredconstruction for aligning apples in the size range set forth above thelargest and outermost ridge 256 has a diameter of 1 inches, the secondridge 257 has a diameter of 1 /8 inches and the third ridge 258 adiameter of 1 inches. The width of each ridge is /32 inch.

There is also provided about the coring tube 234 an outer tube 260 whichextends upwardly to a point spaced slightly below the lowermost end ofshaft 152. The lower end of tube 260 extends to a point spaced slightlyabove a shoulder formed on the coring cutter 226. Mounted on outer tube260 are three fins 262 (FIG. 10) which are disposed substantiallytangentially thereto and equally spaced therearound. The lower edge ofeach fin 262 extends obliquely as at 264, to provide an edge directeddownwardly and inwardly toward the outer tube 260. Edge 264 issufficiently thin and sharp to enter the flesh of the fruit when pressedthereagainst.

Disposition of the fins 262 tangentially with respect to outer tube 260eliminates splitting of brittle fruit during the handling thereof.Rotation of tube 260 during subsequent operations on the fruit is in aclockwise direction as indicated by the arrows in FIGURE 10. Fins 262are rotated while entering the fruit. Any resistance to rotation of thefruit in combination with the rotating force applied by fins 262 tendsto compress the fruit at the outer ends of fins 262. This disposition offins 262 therefore assures that there will be no tendency for the bladesto split the fruit meat.

When the fins 262 are inserted into a fruit such as apple 44, they canserve as a transfer and driving member therefor. To this end, the upperend of outer shaft 260 (FIG. 9) is provided with a drive member 266fixedly attached thereto and in turn fixedly attached to a drivesprocket 26S. Sprocket 268 includes a hub 270 extending upwardly aboutthe lower end of shaft 152 spaced therebetween is a bearing sleeve 272.Hub 270 also is received within a lower boss 274 on bracket 144 and abearing sleeve 276 is provided therebetween. A sealing member 278 isprovided above bearing sleeve 276 and is held in position by a retainerring 280. Referring specifically to FIGURE 2 of the drawings it will beseen that sprocket 268 engages and is driven by a chain 282 which isheld in position thereagainst by a shoe 284 mounted on beam 136. Thereturn reach of chain 282 travels in a track 286 supported by a bracket288 mounted by means of bolts 290 on beam 136. Movement of chain 282serves to drive sprocket 268 which in turn drives the outer tube 260 andthe attached fins 262.

The coring cutter 226, during the cutting operation, moves through theflesh of a fruit such as apple 44 and around the core thereof to a pointsubstantially below the center of the longitudinal extent of the fruitcore. This is diagrammatically illustrated in FIGURE 13d of thedrawings. During this coring operation, the wiggler or aligner tip 194is forced into the sleeve 178 and the sleeve 178 is forced upwardly intotube 234 by contact with the upwardly moving apple. Cup beam is raisedupwardly whereby to raise the fruit 44 and force the coring cutter 226into the fruit 44 while the fruit is held from turning with respect tobracket 70 and cup 42 by means of the shields 252 and 254. During theupward coring movement of fruit 44, the fins 262 enter the apple wherebyto provide a transfer mechanism for later movement of the fruit.

When the coring stroke of cutter 226 has been completed, bracket 70 andcup 42 are lowered and the beams 134 and 136 are moved laterally wherebyto carry the coring tube assembly 24 including the outer tube 260 withapple 44 impaled thereon in a substantially horizontal direction. Theapple 44 is, thus, moved until it is positioned above the lower coringtube (see FIGURE 1). A plurality of lower coring members 306 isprovided, a coring member 306 being provided for each of the alignerunits 22. Coring members 306 are mounted for vertical adjustment upon acoring tube clamp bar 318. More specifically bar 318 is provided with aplurality of slotted apertures therein to receive the lower ends ofcoring members 306. A screw 321 is provided to tighten and adjustablygrip coring member 306 in an adjusted position with respect to clamp bar318. Each coring member 306 includes a tube 307 (FIG. 12) which extendsthrough aligned apertures in flanges 310 of a beam 308 and is providedwith a cutting head generally designated by the numeral 309. Cuttinghead 309 is firmly secured to the upper end of tube 307 and includes anoutwardly extendmg shoulder 311. The upper end of cutting head 309 isprovided with a cutting edge 312 having an inwardly bevelled surface313. A core deflector 314, mounted in tube 307 by means of a pin 315, isprovided with a curved surface 316 which serves to direct coresoutwardly through an aperture 317 in tube 307 and an open side 319 ofthe cutter head 309.

When a partially cored fruit 44 is in position above the lower coringmember 306, the clamp bar 318 is raised and the associated cutting heads309 engage the fruit whereby to make a draw cut in the lower indent ofthe fruit and to complete coring thereof as the impaling spindle 260 isrotated. When the coring cutter 309 has completed its coring cut, thelever 218 is moved downwardly in a clockwise direction, as viewed inFIGURE 2 of the drawings, whereby to move the aligner sleeve 178 andassociated parts downwardly. This movement pushes the severed coredownwardly against the surface 316 of the core deflector 314 whereby toeject the core from the fruit 44 and the coring mechanism.

Clamp bar 318 is then lowered and the cored fruit is moved to the nextprocessing stage (not shown). When processing of the fruit has beencompleted, it is removed from the outer tube 260 and the fins 262 atwhich time 9 I the beams 134-136 are moved back to a position above cup42.

The drive for the various parts is derived from a motor 320 mounted onthe frame of machine (see FIGURE 16 of the drawings). The output shaftof motor 620 is provided with two pulleys 322 and 324, provided withdrive belts 326 and 328, respectively. Drive belt 326 in turn drives apulley 330 mounted on the shaft 332 of a gear reducer 334. The output ofgear reducer 334 is fed to a cam .box 336 which contains suitable timingand actuating cams to drive the various drive shafts.

One of these shafts is a cup beam shaft 338 which extends from the cambox 336 to both end-s of machine 20. It is to be understood that theactuating mechanism, driven by shaft 338 is duplicated at each end ofthe machine but only one set of driving linkages will be described indetail. Fixedly mounted on the end of shaft 338 (FIGS. 16 and 17) is alever 340 which is pivotally connected to an upwardly extending link342. The upper end of link 342 is pivotally connected to cup beam 130.Cup beam 130 is mounted on vertically disposed tracks 344 for verticalreciprocating movement therealong. At the proper time, as determined byoperating cams in cam box 336, shaft 338 is turned in a counterclockwisedirection (FIGS. 16 and 17) whereby to move links 342 and the attachedcup beam 130 vertically up wardly at a predetermined rate and through apredetermined distance. At a predetermined later time cup beam 130 islowered by a clockwise movement of shaft 338.

Another drive shaft is spindle carriage shaft 346 which also extendsfrom the cam box 336 to both ends of the machine. Afiixed to each end ofshaft 346 is a lever 348 which extends upwardly therefrom and isconnected by a pair of links 350 to plate 138 which together with beams134 and 136 forms the aligner and coring assembly spindle carriage. Ashas been explained before (see FIGURE 1, also) a plurality of rollers140 mounted on plates 138 mount the spindle carriage for movement in ahorizontal direction upon tracks 142. Clockwise movement of shaft 346causes the spindle carriage and associated parts to move to the rearaway from the vertical plane of cup beam 130 as viewed in FIGURE 16.Counterclockwise movement of shaft 346 (FIGS. 16 and 17) converselycauses movement of the spindle carriage toward cup beam 130 so that inthe position illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 16 of the drawings, thealigning and coring assembly 24 is positioned above the associatedaligning cup 42. Suitably shaped cams in box 336 cause rotation of shaft346 in the proper direction at the proper rate and at a predeterminedtime.

Still another drive shaft extending from the cam box 336 serves to movethe coring tube clamp bar 318 vertically to effect a part of the coring.More specifically each end of clamp bar 318 is attached to a lever 352(see FIGURE 1). Levers 352 in turn are fixedly mounted on a shaft 353(see FIGURE 17). Another lever 354 is fixedly mounted on shaft 353- andis connected by a link 355 to a lever 356. Lever 356 is fixedly mountedon a pivot shaft 357 which also carries a cam 358. Cam 358 is actuatedby a roller attached to a lever 359, the roller riding in a slot 361 incam 358. Lever 359 is driven from the cam box 336 in proper timedrelationship with the operation of other parts of the machine.

During the aligning and the initial coring operations of the machine 20,clamp bar 318 is held in the lower position as illustrated in FIGURES 1and 17 of the drawings. When it is desired to complete the coringoperation by means of the lower corers 306, 'bar 318 is moved upwardlyby moving lever 359 upwardly or in a counterclockwise direction asviewed in FIGURE 17. This serves to move bar 318 and associated corers306 upwardly into operative position with respect to the fruit 44 as isdiagrammatically illustrated in FIGURES 13s and 13).

The motor 320, by means of belt 328, drives a pulley 360 mounted on thedriving shaft 362 of an angle gear reducer 364. The output shaft ofreducer 364 has mounted thereon a first sprocket wheel 366 which engagesand drives a chain 368 which in turn drives the driven member of analigning clutch 370. When clutch 370 is engaged, it serves to rotate theoutput shaft 372 thereof which is connected to a sprocket 374 by meansof a spline connection generally designated by the numeral 376. Sprocket374 is mounted upon and adapted to move with cup beam 130. The sprocket374 drives chain 112 described above (see also FIGURES 4 and 6 011 thedrawings) which engages and drives the sprockets 106 which causerotation and revolving of the aligning discs 76. It can be seen fromFIGURE 16 that chain 112 is threaded about the various sprockets 106whereby to contact opposite sides of adjacent sprockets. A pair of idlersprockets 378 (one only being shown) is provided to guide chain 112 intoa track 380' (FIG. 4) provided for the return reach thereof. Track 380is mounted by means of a plurality brackets 382, each 'bracket beingsecured by a bolt 384 to one of the brackets 70 (see particularlyFIGURES 4 and 6 of the drawings).

The spline connection 376 permits lowering and raising of the cup beamand the drive sprocket 374 while preserving driving connection with theshaft 372. Although shaft 372 is not driven during movement of cup beam130, this arrangement insures that proper connection is made when it isdesired to drive the aligning discs 76.

The shaft 366 of angle reducer 364 has a second sprocket 386, drivinglyengaging a chain 388. Chain 388 in turn engages a sprocket 390 whichdrives the driven member of a clutch 392 controlling rotation of theouter tube 260 and the associated fins 262 (see FIGURE 9 of thedrawings, also). When clutch 392 is engaged the output therefrom appearson a shaft 394 which is connected by a universal joint 396 to a seconduniversal joint 398 by means of a spline connection generally designatedby the numeral 400. Universal joint 398 is in turn connected to a shaft402 which drives a sprocket 404 mounted upon the spindle carriage andparticularly beam 136 thereof. The universal joints 396 and 398 togetherwith the spline connection 400 provide a driving connection for sprocket404 although the spindle carriage, including beam 136, is movedhorizontally during operation. Chain 282, described above (see FIGURES land 2, also), is driven by sprocket 404 and chain 282 in turn drives thesprockets 268 fixedly attached to the tubular shafts 260 to drive theassociated fins 262.

Sprocket 390 also serves to drive a sprocket 406 which in turn drives achain 408, Chain 408 engages and drives a sprocket 410 providing adriving input for an upper aligning and coring clutch 412. The output ofclutch 412 appears on the shaft 414 which has a universal joint 416. Aspline connector generally designated by the numeral 418 in turn drivesa shaft 420 through a second universal joint 422. Mounted on and drivenby shaft 420 is a sprocket 424 which drives chain described above (seeFIGURES 1 and 2, also). Chain 160 in turn drives the sprocket 156 (FIG.2) and through tube 152 serves to rotate shaft and the attached wigglertip 194 to effect finding of the upper indent and movement thereof intovertical alignment with the lower indent. The universal joints 416 and422 together with the spline connection 418 maintain the drivingconnection between clutch 412 and chain 160 although the spindlecarriage reciprocates in a horizontal direction as has been explainedabove during the coring operation.

The apparatus for driving and controlling the motions of shafts 204 and217 (see FIGURES 1, 2, 15 and 17) will be described. Shaft 204 hasfixedly mounted on one end thereof a lever 426. Shaft 217 has a similarlever 428 also attached on one end thereof. The outer ends 11 of levers426 and 428 are provided with rollers 430 and 432, respectively (seeFIGURE 15).

Lifting of the upper indent aligner when the carriage is in the forwardor aligning position as illustrated in FIGURE 1 of the drawings and bythe solid line parts in FIGURE 15 of the drawings is controlled by shaft204 and will be described first with special reference to FIG- URE 15 ofthe drawings. The roller 430 on lever 426 normally rides upon and hasthe position thereof controlled by contact with a pivoted cam 434. Morespe cifically cam 434 is pivoted on the machine frame about a shaft 436and is movable from a lowermost position illustrated by solid lines inFIGURE 15 to an uppermost position illustrated by dashed lines in FIGURE15. Movement of cam 434 causes rotation of shaft 204 whereby to raisethe upper indent aligner. When cam 434 is in the lowermost position asviewed in FIGURE 15, the aligner is in the lowermost position. When cam434 is in the dashed position or uppermost position, the aligner is inthe lifted or retracted position.

The position of cam 434 is controlled by a link 438 which carries aroller 440 engaged in a U-shaped slot 441 formed in the end of cam 434.The lower end of link 438 is attached to a lever 442 mounted on a shaft444. Shaft 444 is one of the outputs from cam box 336 and is rotated inproper timed relationship to the other mechanisms of the machine by themechanism within the cam box 336.

Rotation of lever 442 in a counterclockwise direction (FIG. 17) raiseslink 438 and moves cam 434 into engagement with roller 430. Continuedupward movement of link 438 rotates lever 426 and the attached shaft 204in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 15 to raise thealigner assembly.

It is desirable to hold the aligner assembly in the raised position whenthe carriage is moved to the rear or coring position. To this end astationary cam 446 is provided having a first or lower support surface448 and a second or higher support surface 450. Roller 430 on lever 426passes from the upper surface of cam 434 onto cam surface 448 as thecarriage is moved from the forward toward the rear position.

Lowering of shaft 170 and the associated aligning parts is controlled byrotation of shaft 217 which is in turn controlled by movement of lever428. The position of lever 428, when the carriage is in the forward oraligning position, is controlled by a lever 452 pivoted to the frameabout shaft 454. More specifically roller 432 on lever 428 contacts thelower side of lever 452. When the parts are in the position illustratedin solid lines in FIG- URE 15, the shaft 170 is in its lowered position.Shaft 170 and associated parts including the levers 428 and 452 can beraised to the positions indicated by dashed lines.

Downward movement of lever 452 is also controlled by link 438. Morespecifically lever 452 carries a roller 456 which is engaged in anelongated closed slot 458 in the upper end of link 438.

The positioning of lever 428, when the carriage is in the rear ornon-aligning position, is controlled by a stationary cam 460. Cam 460has a first cam surface 462 and a second relatively higher cam surface464. As the carriage moves rearwardly, roller 432 leaves the lower camposition of lever 452 and passes on to cam surface 462 and then on tocam surface 464. Lever 452 is normally spring urged toward the upper ordashed position as viewed in FIGURE 15.

Clutches 376, 392 and 412 are controlled through suitable mechanisms(not shown) by cams in the cam box 336.

A detailed description of the indent finding, aligning and coringoperations will now be given. At the beginning of the processing of afruit such as apple 44, cup beam 130 is being lowered and is approachingthe lowermost position as illustrated in FIGURES 1, 4, 7 and 13a bymoving shaft 338 (FIGS. 16 and 17) to its farthest clockwise position.This causes cup 42 to be raised with respect to disc 12 76 to theposition shown in FIGURE 4 of the drawings by engagement of stem 62against the cam 114. Cam 114 was previously adjusted in order that thecup will be so spaced with respect to the disc 76 as to accommodatefruit of the size to be processed.

An apple 44 is fed down chute'40 as the cup beam approaches itslowermost position. The aligning disc 76 is rotating about vertical andhorizontal axes as apple 44 enters cup 42. In most instances neitherindent of the apple 44 falls upon the aligner disc 76. After apple 44contacts the rotating outer surface 78 of disc 76, the frictionalcontact between surface 78 and the globular surface 52 of apple 44imparts a force to apple 44 tending to cause rotation thereof. Thecomponent of movement of surface 78 caused by rotation of disc 76 abouta horizontal axis applies a force to apple 44 tending to rotate apple 44about a horizontal axis passing therethrough and in general alignmentwith a line parallel to the axis of rotation of disc 76. The movement ofdisc 76 about a vertical axis caused by the turning of shaft 82 about avertical axis passing through substantially the center thereof alsoimparts through surface 78 to apple 44 a force tending to rotate apple44 about a vertical axis. Because of irregularities in the surface ofapple 44 and, in addition, because of the selected shape of the wall 58of cup 42, apple 44 tends to be rolled around upon disc 76. The inclinedwall 58 of cup 42 continually maintains apple 44 in contact with themoving surface 78 of disc 76.

Because of the continual shifting of disc 76 about a vertical axis, theforce applied thereby to apple 44 is being continually applied in adifferent direction. In general, apple 44 is continually rotating abouta horizontal axis but the horizontal axis of rotation is alsocontinually being changed because of the rotation of aligner 76 about avertical axis. By this series of constantly changing impacts applied toapple 44, a large number of points of the surface 52 including theindents 46 and 54 are presented to the surface 78 or aligner disc 76. Itis believed that the continual turning of the axis of rotation of disc76 about a vertical axis together with the inclined wall 58 of cup 42assures that a maximum surface area of apple 44 is presented to alignerdisc 76 or is scanned during any given time interval.

When one of the indents, either the stem indent or the blossom indent,of apple 44 is positioned toward disc 76, the shields 252 and 254entering the indent prevent the surface 78 of disc 76 from moving out ofthat indent in apple 44. Accordingly, no additional driving force isapplied to apple 44 and apple 44 comes to rest with the indent such asindent 54 positioned over disc 76. Apple 44 is now supported by theshields 252 and 254 and a point of contact with wall 58 of cup 42.

After a predetermined period of time, rotation of disc 76 is stopped bydisengaging the clutch 370. Clutch 412 is next engaged whereby to causerotation of shaft 152, shaft 170, sleeve 178 and the eccentric wigglertip 194 of the aligning and coring assemblies. The aligning and coringassemblies 24 are then moved into position over associated cups 42 andlever 218 is moved downwardly whereby to move the tip 194 downwardlytoward apple 44. As is best illustrated in FIGURE 5 of the drawings,with one indent found, the apple 44 is supported by cup 42 in a positionsuch that the upper indent 46 (here illustrated as the stern indent butit is to be understood that it could also be the blossom indent) ispositioned at a point removed from a vertical line passing through thelower found indent resting over disc 76, The tip 194 is eccentricallypositioned with respect to the vertical axis of the mount therefor sothat the rounded end 198 describes an orbit or path which is circularwhen projected on a horizontal plane. In'aligning apples having adiameter of from 2% to 4% inches the diameter of tip 194 is chosen to beapproximately 0.185 inch and the vertical center axis thereof describesin a horizontal plane a circle having a radius of 0.062 inch.

With the parts having dimensions as described above, it has been foundthat some portion of the orbit of tip 194 falls within the upper indent,such as indent 46, so that as the tip 194 is lowered the end 198contacts the con-. cavely curved indent surface 50 at one point duringrotation or orbiting of tip 194. Contact with concavely curved surface50 combined with the pressure forcing tip 194 downwardly produces aresultant force tending to move the core axis of apple 44 into alignmentbetween the end of tip 194 and the lower found indent. Accordingly,continued lowering of tip 194 serves to straighten or align the coreaxis of apple 44 between the tip 194 and the uppermost surfaces ofshields 252 and 254.

In the event that first contact of end 198 with apple 44 falls on thegeneral outer surface 52 of the apple, a force is also applied tendingto move the core axis of apple 44. As may be best seen from FIGURE ofthe drawings this force, in all cases, will be applied in a directiontoward tending to move apple 44 in a direction generally toward thepoint of contact thereof with cup 42. Accordingly, this force willactually be ineffectual to move the apple and instead tip 194 will beforced upwardly against the action of spring 200 (see FIGURE 9, also).This movement of tip 194 into the sleeve 178 permits rotation of sleeve178 to continue without bruising or cutting the apple. The end 198 oftip 194 will ride upwardly along apple surface 52 until end 198 entersindent 46 and contacts surface 50 thereof. At this time, spring 200 willurge tip 194 downwardly against surface 50 and a force will be exertedtending to move the core axis of apple 44 in a direction which enablesfurther entry of tip 194- into indent 46. This serves to align the coreaxis between tip 194 and the shields 252-254 as has been ex plainedabove.

As the aligner shaft 170 approaches the lowermost position, indentaligner unit 22 begins to rise. More specifically, cup beam 130 isslowly raised by rotating shaft 338 in a counterclockwise direction asviewed in FIGURE 17. Because of the action of spring 118 (FIG. 4),aligner disc 76 and the associated parts mounted on bracket 70 risebefore cup 42 begins to move. This insures that the aligned fruit issupported between disc 76 and tip 194. Alignment of the fruit is nowcomplete,

both indents having been found and the core axis moved to asubstantially vertical position.

Continued upward movement of bracket 70 and disc 76 pushes tip 194 intosleeve 178 against the action of spring 200 and sleeve 178 is in turnpushed upwardly into the coring tube 234, first against the action ofspring 188 and then against lever 218. At this time shaft 2117, uponwhich lever 218 is mounted, is free to rotate in a counterclockwisedirection as viewed in FIGURES 1 and 2. After sleeve 178 has been movedupwardly into coring tube 234, the coring cutter 226 and morespecifically the sharpened end 228 pierces and cuts the apple about theupper indent. Coring tube 234 is still being rotated by tube 152 whichis in turn being driven through sprocket 156 by means of the drive chain160. This provides a draw out so that the flesh of the fruit is cleanlycut and not torn or bruised. The presence of the part-circular shields252 and 254 (see particularly FIGURE 4) during the aligning and coringoperations resists rotation of the fruit about a vertical axis. The fins26-2 on outer tube 260 also enter apple 44 during the coring operation.As soon as fins 262 enter the apple, they also resist rotation of theapple about a vertical axis since sprocket 268 and the associated driveparts are stationary at this time.

The draw cut, made by the coring cutter 226, reduces the pressure neededto perform the coring operation. It also prevents carrying of seedsthrough the fruit flesh and avoids unnecessary bruising thereof.Rotation of the coring cutter 226 also serves to cut off crooked stemswhich may have a portion thereof lying outside of the circumference ofcutting edge 228.

Upward movement of bracket 70 carrying the fruit with it is continueduntil the upper surface of aligner disc 76 reaches a predeterminedposition. This insures that the cutting edge 228 of the cutter 226 ispositioned at a fixed and predetermined distance from the lower end ofall fruit regardless of size.

The carriage supporting the aligning and coring assemblies 24 is thenmoved rearwardly or to the right as viewed in FIGURES 1 and 16.Simultaneously bracket 70 carrying the aligner disc 76 and cup 42 beginmoving downwardly carried by beam 130. This is accomplished by turningshaft 338 clockwise as viewed in FIGURE 16. When the lower end of stem62 contacts cam 114, downward movement of the cup 42 stops. Anotherapple to be aligned is then fed to cup 42 as bracket 70 and aligner disc76 approach the lowermost position thereof.

Meanwhile the prior aligned and partially cored apple is carried uponouter tube 260 and fins 2 6 2. Movement of the carriage supporting thesemembers rearwardly or to the right as viewed in FIGURES 1, 15 and 17 isaccomplished by turning shaft 346 clockwise. Movement of these membersis stopped when the partially cored apple is positioned above the lowercoring tubes 306. Immediately after positioning of the partiallycoredapple above the associated coring member 306, bar 3 18 begins tomove upwardly, this movement being accomplished by pivoting lever 359clockwise as viewed in FIGURE 17. Clutch 392 is energized and,accordingly, the impaling tube 260 is rotated through the drive linkageincluding universal 396, spline 400, universal 398, shaft 402, sprocket404 and chain 282. As cutting edge 312 contacts the lower end of therotating apple 44, a draw cut is made. Upward movement of bar 318continues until cutting edge 3'12 reaches a point substantiallypositioned against cutting edge 228.

Shaft 217 is then rotated clockwise as viewed in FIG- URES 2 and 17 toforce shaft downwardly. This movement of shaft 217 is obtained byfurther clockwise movement of lever 442 whereby to pull link 438 and thecam lever 452 downwardly. Downward movement of shaft 170 pushes thesevered core from the apple and into the lower coring tube 306. The coreis deflected out of the corer by means of the deflector 3 14 (seeparticularly FIGURE 12). This completes coring of the apple.

The apple is then transferred to the next fruit processing station (notshown). The carriage for aligner assemblies 24 is then returned to sucha position that each of the upper indent aligners is in position abovethe associated cup 42. This movement of the carriage is accomplished byturning shaft 346 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE17. An apple has had one of the indents thereof located by disc 76during the coring operation described above and is now in a condition tohave the upper indent thereof located and aligned by means of tip 194and the associated parts. This completes an entire indent finding, corealigning and coring operation.

It will be apparent that while practicing the method of the presentinvention, as set forth, the opposite stem and blossom indents of fruitare first quickly found. The stem-blossom axis of the fruit is thenbrought into a predetermined position to orient the fruit, after whichthe -,core is severed from the fruit and the core is ejected from thefruit by the upper indent finder. While a particular method of orientingand coring fruit has been disclosed, it is to be understood that variouschanges and modifications can be made therein without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is to belimited only as set forth in the claims appended hereto.

The invention having thus been described, what is believed to be new anddesired to be protected by Letters Patent is:

1. The method of preparing fruit having two indents disposed at oppositeends of the core axis thereof comprising rotating the fruit relative toa first finder element to find the first indent therein, shifting thefruit relative to a second finder element to find the second indenttherein, aligning the found indents along a predetermined axis, anddriving a coring member into the fruit along said predetermined axis tocore the fruit.

2. The method of preparing fruit having two indents therein disposed atopposite ends of the core axis thereof comprising rotating the fruitrelative to a first finder element to find the first indent therein,shifting the fruit relative to a second finder element to find thesecond indent therein, aligning the found in-dents along a predeterminedaxis, driving a first coring member into the fruit along saidpredetermnied axis from one end thereof partially to core the fruit, anddriving a second coring member into the fruit along said predeterminedaxis from the other end thereof to complete coring of the fruit.

3. The method of preparing fruit having two indents disposed at oppositeends of the core axis thereof comprising rotating the fruit relative toa first finder element to find the first indent therein, shifting thefruit relative to a second finder element to find the second indenttherein, aligning the found indents along a predetermined axis, anddriving a coring member into the fruit along said predetermined axiswhile rotating the coring member about said axis to core the fruit.

4. The method of preparing fruit having a core and an indent at each endof the stem-blossom axis comprising the steps of manipulating such afruit while one of said indents is restricted to a position at apredetermined point to bring the stem-blossom axis to a predeterminedposition of alignment, securing the fruit in oriented position with saidone of said indents positioned at said predetermined point, and cuttingthe fruit inward thereof about the core along the stern-blossom axisWhile the fruit is secured in oriented position.

5. The method of preparing fruit having a core and an indent at each endof the stem-blossom axis comprising the steps of locating such a fruitwith one of said indents positioned at a predetermined point intersectedby a cer tain axis, pivoting the fruit about said point until the otherindent of the fruit is disposed on said certain axis and saidstem-blossom axis is substantially coaxial with said certain axis toorient the fruit, securing the fruit in oriented position with said oneof said indents positioned at said predetermined point, and cutting thefruit inward thereof about the core along the stem-blossom axis whilethe fruit is secured in oriented position. I

6. The method of processing fruit having a core and an indent at eachend of the stem-blossom axi comprising the steps of rotating such afruit about different axes until the indent at one end of the fruit islocated at a certain point intersected by a predetermined axis to findone indent, stopping rotation of the fruit when one indent has beenfound and retaining the fruit with said one indent in indent-foundrelation with respect to said certain point, pivoting the fruit aboutsaid point until the indent at the other end of the fruit is disposed onsaid predetermined axis and said stem-blossom axis is aligned insubstantially coaxial relation with said predetermined axis to orientthe fruit, retaining the fruit in oriented position with said one indentin indent-found relation with respect to said certain point, impalingand cutting the fruit inward thereof from said other end of the fruitabout the core along the stem-blossom axis of the oriented fruit to apredetermined depth to partially cut the core from the fruit,

transporting the impaled and partially cored fruit to location remotefrom said certain point, and cutting the fruit inward thereof from saidone end of the fruit about the core along the stemblossom axissubstantially to the depth of the first core cut to completely cut thecore from the fruit.

7. The method set forth in claim 6 including the step of pushing thesevered core from one end of the impaled fruit through the opposite endthereof.

8. The method of processing fruit having a core and an indent at eachend of the stern-blossom axis comprising the steps of rotating such afruit about different axes until the indent at one end is located at acertain point intersected by a predetermined axis to find one indent,stopping rotation of the fruit when said one indent has been found andretaining the fruit with said one indent in indent-found relation withrespect to said certain point, pivoting the fruit about said point untilthe indent in the other end of the fruit is disposed on saidpredetermined axis and said stem-blossom axis is aligned insubstantially coaxial relation with said predetermined axis to orientthe fruit, retaining the fruit in oriented position with said one indentin indent-found relation with respect to said certain point, driving animpaler and first core cutter into the fruit inward thereof from saidother end of the fruit about the core along the stem-blossom axis of theoriented fruit to a predetermined depth to make a first core cut topartially sever the core from the fruit, moving the impaler with thefruit thereon to transport the impaled and partially cored fruit to alocation remote from said certain point, and driving a second cutterint-o the fruit inward thereof from said one end of the fruit about thecore along the stem-blossom axis to substantially the depth of the firstcore cut to completely sever the core from the fruit.

9. The method set forth in claim 8 including the step of pushing thesevered core at one end of the impaled fruit to discharge the corethrough the opposite end of the fruit.

10. The method set forth in claim 8 including the step of pushing thecore at one end thereof from the fruit prior to removal of said impaler,said first cutter and said second cutter are withdrawn from the fruit.

11. The method set forth in claim 8 wherein said impaler is held againstrotation and said first cutter is rotated While the oriented fruit isretained against rotation and said one indent is retained inindent-found relation with respect to said certain point during saidfirst core cut, and said impaler is rotated to rotate the fruittherewith and said second cutter is held against rotation while the coresevering operation is completed.

12. The method set forth in claim 11 including the step of pushing thecore at said other end of the impaled fruit from said one end thereof.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,447,640 8/1948Dunn 14652 X 2,572,773 10/1951 Slagle l9833 3,225,892 12/1965 Keeslingl9833 WILLIAM W. DYER, IR., Primary Examiner.

WILLIE GRAYDON ABERCROMBIE, ROBERT C.

RIORDON, Examiners,

1. THE METHOD OF PREPARING FRUIT HAVING TWO INDENTS DISPOSED AT OPPOSITEENDS OF THE CORE AXIS THEREOF COMPRISING ROTATING THE FRUIT RELATIVE TOA FIRST FINDER ELEMENT TO FIND THE FIRST INDENT THEREIN, SHIFTING THEFRUIT RELATIVE TO A SECOND FINDER ELEMENT TO FIND THE SECOND INDENTTHEREIN, ALIGNING THE FOUND INDENTS ALONG A PREDETERMINED AXIS,